1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to motor vehicles. More particularly, the present invention relates to an adjustable aerodynamic system for a motor vehicle.
2. Discussion
Vehicle ride height refers to a nominal vertical distance between the chassis and the ground. Modern vehicles are designed to operate at a specific ride height. The specific ride height chosen for a vehicle depends on the anticipated driving conditions. For example, sport cars are designed for on-road driving conditions and have a relatively low ride height. At the other end of the spectrum, off-road vehicles are designed to withstand rugged terrain and have a much greater ride height to provide clearance over normally encountered obstacles.
It is known in the art to equip a motor vehicle with height adjustable suspension units which can adjust the actual ride height. Most commonly, known arrangements are adapted to adjust the actual ride height to maintain the design ride height under varying loads. For example, vehicles used to haul cargo typically incorporate pneumatic shock absorbers for controlling the actual ride height of the vehicle. The pneumatic shock absorbers are interpositioned between the frame and the body of the vehicle and are pressurized by gas such as air. When pressurized, the length of the pneumatic shock increases and thereby adjusts the relative position of the vehicle body with respect to the ground.
When a user of a pneumatic shock absorber applies a heavy load to the cargo carrying area of the vehicle, the vehicle body typically sinks onto the frame due to the weight of the load and the compression of existing springs and shocks. The user simply injects a quantity of pressured air to increase the length of the pneumatic shock and enable the vehicle body to be raised, thereby overcoming the downward force associated with the load. In this manner, the vehicle may be leveled at the intended ride height despite the load it carries. While adjustable suspension systems which are load responsive have proven to be acceptable for their intended applications, they are all associated with disadvantages. In this regard, known systems are typically not designed to switch between low and high ride heights depending on encountered terrain. Additionally, most known systems do not retain constant shock absorber travel throughout a range of adjustability and thereby sacrifice performance. Furthermore, known systems typically require wheel angle adjustments referred to as camber adjustments to accommodate ride height changes.
To a more limited extent, it is known to provide an adjustable suspension for a motor vehicle adapted to selectively accommodate various driving conditions. While such known arrangements have proven to be acceptable for certain applications, they are all associated with limitations. For example, known suspensions require independent camber adjustments. In this regard, when the ride height is adjusted, independent adjustments are required to appropriately angle the wheels. Thus, it is desirable to provide an adjustable suspension which does not require this type of independent camber adjustment.